Christmastime
by Wootar16
Summary: Sean, Alex and company (in chapter 2) during the Christmas season. What could be better?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So I'm back with a new Salex fic, it's been a while I know. Happy Holidays to everyone and hopefully you all like this. It will be a two shot and the next chapter will be up tomorrow. As always let me know what you think. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 1**

Alex and Sean struggled as they attempted to haul the large tree up the stairs to the apartment.

"Remind me again why we couldn't have just bought a fake one?" Sean asked as they turned yet another corner.

"Because, when I was a little girl we would have a real tree every year. My Papa and I would pick it out in the morning and Mama and I would spend the rest of the day decorating it." Alex reasoned with him. "I thought you said you had real trees as a kid too?" she countered, confused as to his argument.

"I did, and I loved it. The house always smelt like pine during the holidays, but we never had to fit them up a set of stairs this small!" He complained as they finally arrived at the door to their apartment.

Alex rolled her eyes at him as she put the key into the door and pushed it open before helping Sean drag the tree into the living room. Carefully placing it on the floor the two stretched as their sore muscles relaxed.

"Okay, let's get it into the stand." Alex said as she motioned at Sean.

He shot her a playful glare before he picked up the tree and held it straight in the stand as Alex adjusted the screws at the base to keep it in place. After a few minutes of twisting and turning the tree was finally standing up straight and tall.

"I think it looks pretty good." Sean said as they stood back to admire their handy work.

"Me too." Alex replied with a proud smile.

"Shall we start decorating?" Sean asked pointing to the two large boxes of Christmas ornaments, one with his name on it and one with Alex's. Sean had gotten his from his sister and Alex's mother had sent her some since Alex hadn't really had a proper Christmas since she left Russia. Although the house had been burned the Christmas ornaments had been kept in the basement so they hadn't been destroyed.

Alex nodded in agreement with his suggestion to start decorating and walked over and opened her box.

"Oh wait, I've got to do something. You stay here." Sean said giving Alex a kiss before running out of the room.

Alex smiled. She didn't know what she would do without him. Looking through the box she felt her heart clench. It had been so long since she had seen any of these ornaments. She pulled out the first, and a tear stung at her eye when she saw it was the ornament she had received at her first Christmas. The picture inside was of her as a baby, while her parents held her, her fathers face smiled back at her.

Sean came back into the room to see Alex sitting on the ground looking at a picture of her family. Setting the two mugs down on the coffee table he walked over to her and sat down next to her. "Are you okay?" He asked gently.

"Yeah. It's just, it's been a long time since I remember my parents being that happy. Once Papa started Zetrov he was always working, my parents still loved each other but their relationship wasn't like this. That's all." She said still looking down at the picture.

Sean frowned slightly. He couldn't imagine how hard it must be for her. Alex's father died just after Christmas so every year those same memories were brought back to the surface.

Sean wrapped his arm around Alex's shoulder. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Don't worry" She said with a sad smile.

"Hey, Alex look, we have a new future. We can make new memories, okay?" Sean said kissing her gently.

Alex smiled warmly at him. "So, what did you leave to get?" She asked him curiously.

Sean smiled and stood up. "Here." He said grabbing one of the mugs off the counter and handing it to her. "Don't worry, it's 100% animal approved." He said handing her the steaming cup of hot chocolate.

Alex smiled at him as she took a sip. "Wow this is good! Who had any idea you could make hot chocolate." She said teasingly.

"I'm a man of many talents." He said, winking at her and giving her that boyish grin she had fallen in love with.

"Now, let's get to decorating this tree." He said taking one last sip of his hot chocolate before placing it back down on the table.

He walked over and grabbed a box of lights he and Alex had bought. Opening it he pulled the lights out of their plastic wrap. "Here, can you take this side?" He asked handing Alex one of the corners.

She took it from him and they worked together, trying to get the lights around the tree. About 15 minutes later of struggling to get the lights on, they were finally able to turn on the tree and see it light up.

"Perfect." Alex said in a light whisper.

"Yes you are." Sean said wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

Alex let out a chuckle as she leant back into his strong chest. "I was talking about the tree."

"I wasn't" he said truthfully.

Alex reached up and gently patted his cheek with her hand. "Come on, we still have work to do." She said reluctantly pulling away from his warm embrace.

"Ohh, come on" he said with a wicked smile, pulling her back against his chest "We deserve a break" he reasoned, leaning down to capture her lips in his.

15 minutes later Sean and Alex both went through their boxes and pulled out the ornaments they wanted to have on the tree.

Alex was impressed by the large array of Christmas ornaments that Sean took out of his box and gave him a curious glance.

Sean noticed her looking at him and turned to face her

"We travelled a lot when I was a kid. Every year my mom would take us somewhere, either in Europe, or Canada. Sometimes around to different states. Wherever we went my mom made sure we picked up something we could hang on our tree." Sean explained to her.

"That's so cool. I think that is a tradition we are defiantly going to have to continue." Alex smiled, but then dropped her gaze as she realized what she had just said.

Sean let a ghost of a smile cross his lips; he didn't want to make a big deal out of the words that left her mouth so he held his tongue.

But the fact that she had actually said it made his heart soar.

The next two hours were spent with Alex and Sean placing their various decorations on the tree. Once everything was cleaned up and the boxes where put back in the closet Sean and Alex stood back to admire their hard work.

"It's missing one thing." Sean said suddenly.

"What?" Alex asked looking at him, a confused expression on her face.

Sean walked over to the side table and picked up a delicate, hand-woven angel. "This has to go on the top of the tree." He said handing it to Alex.

Alex smiled at him. "You're right." She walked away to grab a step stool when she felt Sean's hands around her waist. She let out a small yelp as Sean lifted her off the ground, high enough so that she could place the angel on top of the tree.

To this day, even after dating him for over a year, his amount of strength still surprised her. Sean effortlessly held her in place as she put the angel on top of the tree. When she was satisfied with it's position Sean threw her up in the air, just high enough so he could twirl her. He caught her in his arms, the twirl having made it so that she was facing him.

Alex let out a giggle and she bent down and captured Sean's lips in a kiss. After a few seconds she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling their bodies even closer together.

Sean turned them and pushed Alex's back against the wall. He smiled as he felt her knot her fingers in his hair, and he gently ran his thumb over the skin that was just beneath the hem of her shirt.

Seconds later the couple was interrupted by the sound of a timer going off. Letting out a frustrated groan, Alex pulled away from Sean and rested her forehead against his.

But Sean had other ideas and moved his hands to keep Alex against the wall.

"Sean come on." Alex tried to argue with him.

Her resolve quickly faded as he moved his lips to her neck. She wanted to tell him that if they didn't stop, their kitchen would catch on fire but she wasn't able to form complete sentences.

The timer going off again finally brought Alex back to her senses. "Sean stop." She said softly. "The last thing we need is for our kitchen to catch fire." She said gently pushing him away from her.

Sean pouted and Alex let out an amused chuckle. "Come on, soldier" She said giving his lips another quick kiss before ducking away from him.

She walked over to the oven and quickly turned it off. Grabbing a pair of oven mitts from the drawer she pulled out the steaming lasagna.

Sean had made the dinner and put it in while she was still decorating the rest of their small apartment so she had no idea what he had made. She looked over at him and gave him an amused smile.

"Don't look so surprised." Sean said. "My dad told me I had to learn how to cook and how to dance if I was ever going to get a girl. So that's exactly what I did."

"You can dance?" Alex asked, now even more intrigued.

Sean smiled before he took off the gloves she was wearing and placed them on the counter before placing his hand on her waist and pulling her towards him.

Alex followed his lead and placed her hand on his shoulder before lacing her fingers through his with her other hand. Even without music Sean was able to expertly lead Alex around the room.

He suddenly twirled her outwards before spinning her back into his arms and dipping her so that the ends of hairs were just skimming the floor.

He kissed her on the lips before bringing her back up, keeping her body pressed against his.

Alex smiled at him. "Not bad at all, Mr. Pierce" She said breathlessly. Her heart was beating against her chest and her proximity to Sean wasn't helping. Even after all this time he still managed to take her breath away.

Sean's trademark boyish smile crossed his lips before he walked back into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, it's 100% vegan. As always." He said as he platted the food.

Alex gave him a wide smile. He always made sure everything he bought or made for the two of them was vegan. He never complained either, not once. "You know I really love you, right?" Alex said taking the plate from him.

Sean shrugged playfully. "You may have mentioned it once or twice."

The two of them walked over to the table and sat down to eat their meal together.

After dinner the two of them cleared the table and started tidying the kitchen. Sean cleaned the dishes while Alex put the left over lasagne in the fridge.

Once they were finished cleaning Sean took Alex's hands in his and lead her over to the couch. Standing just in front of the couch Sean smiled down at Alex.

"What?" Alex asked curiously.

"Nothing. Just marvelling at how beautiful you are." He said softly.

Alex blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Sean tilted her face upwards so that she was looking at him. "You're beautiful Alex." he stated again before crashing his lips onto her. Alex smiled and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. They finally pulled away to catch their breaths, resting their foreheads against one another.

"We did say 1 present before bed. Didn't we?" Alex asked with a slight chuckle as she played with the collar of his shirt.

"You're right." Sean said with a smile. He was confident Alex was going to like the present he had for her.

Alex pulled away and walked over to the tree before fishing out a box and walking back over to Sean. "I know it's nothing big, but I couldn't really decide on what to get you." She said sheepishly.

"I'm sure I'll love it." He said kissing her again before he took the box. He sat down beside her on the couch and carefully peeled the paper from the box.

Sean opened the lid of the white box to reveal two small silver cuff links. The word "love" was engraved on either cuff link in Morse code. The engraving was lined with gold so that it stood out from the silver.

"Al, these are amazing!" he gently kissed her lips "Thank you so much!" Sean said wrapping his arms around her.

Alex smiled at his reaction and relaxed as his arms wrapped around her. "I'm glad you like them. I know it's nothing big, I just -"

Sean cut her off by placing his lips atop hers again

"They're perfect." he said cupping the side of her face with his hand.

Alex gave him a smile before pulling away slightly. "So. . ." She said trailing off.

"So what?" Sean asked pretending not to know what she was talking about.

Alex gave him a playful glare. "So what about my present." She said with trying to sound serious.

Sean gave her a feigned look of surprise. "I was supposed to get you something? Well this puts me in quiet the pickle." He said giving her a smile.

Alex hit his arm. "Sean!" She whined.

"Okay fine." Sean caved with a laugh. He walked over to his box of ornaments and handed one to her. "It has to go on the tree." He commented simply.

Alex looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The outside of the ornament was a simply spherical shape, pained gold with a bronze design on it.

Alex gently took the ornament in her hand, wrinkling her eyebrows in confusion when she felt a hinge on the back of it.

Turning it she rested it in her palms and pulled it open. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw a beautiful diamond ring on a silver band, with an amethyst on either side sitting between two pieces of felt padding.

She went to look up at Sean only to notice that he was kneeling down on one knee in front of her.

"Alex, from the moment I met you I knew I was in trouble. You were a force of nature to be reckoned with, and you don't let anything stand in your way. I love you more than anything and I want to spend the rest of my life at your side" he took a calming breath "Will you marry me?"

Alex had tears in her eyes as she looked down at Sean. "Yes Sean Mason Pierce I'll marry you." Alex told him with a smile.

Sean's face broke into a huge smile as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Standing up he brought her with him and twirled her around in a circle.

Alex let out a delighted squeal as Sean spun her around the room. When he finally stopped Alex ran a hand through his hair, before resting it on the back of his neck. "Merry Christmas Sean." She said softly.

"Merry Christmas Alex." He said, the smile still plastered on his face.

Alex gave him a smile before stepping away from him and taking his hand in hers, slowly leading him to their bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! So sorry this is so late everyone but fanfiction has been down basically all day and between that and helping my mom make dinner this was the only time I could post. I'd like to thank Catherine for helping me so much on this one, what else is new. If you haven't already you NEED to go read her fanfictions. They are adorable and perfect. Secondly Michael's fiance in this is an OC created by Millie55. She's writing an amazing story called Behind Enemy Lines which focus' on that Michael/OC relationship so go check it out. Happy Holidays! ENJOY!**

**Chapter 2**

Alex smiled as she felt Sean's lips on her shoulder. "Morning Al." He said, his voice low and thick with sleep.

Alex turned over to face him, her smile widening when she looked into his warm, chocolate brown eyes. "Morning." She said softly.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her curiously.

"The day you proposed." Alex replied simply, laying her head down on his bare chest and listening to his heart beat.

Sean smiled. "It's hard to believe that was 5 years ago." He said as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and played with the ringlets of her hair before leaning forward and giving her a light kiss.

Alex smiled, completely relaxing into his embrace. "I know, so much has changed. It's crazy." She said with a small chuckle at just how different things were.

5 years, it didn't seem like a long time but to them, it felt like an eternity. Amanda was dead, Division was gone for good. Everyone in their odd family was now working for the CIA and they'd all been given their Presidential Pardons.

Owen and Nikita had finally gotten married, and soon after figured out that Nikita was pregnant. Despite her fears of being a mother, Nikita took it like anything else and worked out a plan. She and Owen were happily married with two wonderful children.

Birkhoff had finally gotten the nerve to bring Sonya out on a proper date. They decided not to count their time in Division as really dating, since neither of them was used to having a normal life in any way shape or form. He proposed 2 years later, and they were now married, with a baby on the way. To say Birkhoff was freaking out was understatement.

"Babies are nothing like computers!" He argued, though everyone knew he and Sonya were going to be wonderful parents.

Ryan had moved back with his mom, feeling guilty for never telling her that he was alive. When he explained, in as much detail as he was legally allowed to, what happened she didn't question him further, she was just happy to have her son back. He would be spending Christmas with her and his new girlfriend but he had promised to stop in for New Years .

Michael had reconnected with Cassandra and Max and would be spending Christmas with them and his fiance Katia.

Alex's mother had moved back to the States so she could be closer to Alex, and she had grown exceptionally fond of Sean. Glad that her little girl had someone to look after her.

Sean had talked to Katya, all those years ago and asked her permission to propose to Alex. Needless to say, Sean was in her good books.

"They were good changes though." Sean said pulling her out of her thoughts.

Alex looked up at him. "Very good." She gently kissed his lips and he wasted no time in kissing her back, gently pushing a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her braid behind her ear. Alex was about to move into a more comfortable position when laughter broke them apart.

"Mom, dad! Wake up! Santa came, Santa came!" Their daughters called running in to the room and jumping onto their parents bed.

Alex and Sean pulled apart from each other and smiled as they picked up their 4 year old twins and placed them onto their laps.

"What are you doing up so early?" Sean asked looking over at the clock which read 6:30am. He and Alex were still used to waking up early, but the kids weren't up until 7:00-7:30 most days.

"It's Christmas silly!" Katya (Katie) Madeline replied to her father as she gave him a kiss. She gave him a bright smile, showing her cute dimples and her dark brown hair and eyes that mirrored her father.

"Yeah dad! You should know these things." Naveah Hope said with a 'duh' tone "It's Christmas morning!" The little girl's bright blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

Alex chuckled at her daughters. "Okay, come on girls. Let your dad and I get up, okay?" Alex asked sitting up still holding Naveah in her arms. Alex gently placed the girl on the ground as Sean did the same with Katie.

"Then presents?" Naveah asked excitedly

Sean chuckled at his youngest daughter. "Then presents." He confirmed as the two girls went bolting from the room, laughing as they did. Sean leaned over and gave Alex another kiss. Stepping out of bed he walked over to her side of the bed and effortlessly picked her up bridal style in his arms.

"Sean!" Alex yelled in surprise. "Put me down!" She complained, but couldn't help the laugh that escape her mouth.

"Magic words?" He teased, looking into her eyes as he brought her body closer to his.

Alex held his gaze and instantly felt her heart swell. "I love you." Alex told him simply, leaning forward and kissing his lips.

Sean smiled as he gently placed her on the floor. "I love you too."

Alex stood close enough to Sean that she could feel the heat radiating from his chest. She wanted to stay like this forever but their girl's loud giggles made her leave his proximity.

Sean threw a shirt on over his head as he and Alex walked out of the bedroom.

Katie and Naveah were sitting excitedly in front of the Christmas tree. Alex walked over and sat on the couch as Sean started a pot of coffee for them.

"Okay girls you know the drill." Alex said smiling at the two girls. "First you open your stockings, then we have breakfast, the you open your big presents. Alright?" She explained to them.

The girls nodded happily as they scrambled over to the fireplace and each grabbed their respective stockings. They sat beside each other on the floor and proceeded to open up their presents.

Delighted squeals and laughter filled the house as the girls sorted through their presents. Alex sat with the girls for a while drinking the coffee Sean had made her.

About half an our later Sean and Alex switched roles and Alex finished up breakfast and Sean watched his daughters.

While she was putting the finishing touches on the breakfast and putting the plates on the table Alex shot a glance over at Sean.

The sight was one of the most heart-warming she had ever seen. Sean was sitting on the floor with his coffee cup on the side table and both girls sitting in his lap, he had one of his arms wrapped around either girls shoulders.

Alex knew Sean loved the girls more than anything and she knew he would do anything and everything to keep them safe. Even though they had nothing to be worried about anymore.

Alex finished making breakfast and turned off the stove. "Guys breakfast is ready." She called to her family.

Katie was the first to enter, giving her mother a hug before siting down at her spot at the table. Naveah was next and did the exact same, sitting across from her sister.

Sean helped Alex bring all the food over and place the food on the girls plates. They all sat down together and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and fruit salad.

When everyone was done eating Alex and Sean quickly cleared the table and started to put away the dishes so the kitchen would be clean for cooking later in the day. It was only 7:30 so they still had plenty of time to cook dinner.

Once the kitchen was clean Alex and Sean went back to the couch where Katie and Naveah started to sort through who's present was who's.

"Mom this one is for you!" Naveah said happily, handing her mother the box.

"Thank you." Alex said with a smile as she took the box from her daughter.

"Dad, this is yours." Katie said handing the box to Sean.

Sean gently took the box from her hands. "Thanks."

Katie and Naveah spent the next while happily opening their gifts.

Katie's big present was an easy bake oven, which she decided would be used to make Christmas cookies for the family later in the day, and Naveah's was a Play-mobile zoo set.

As the girls opened the rest of their presents Alex turned on the couch so that she was better facing Sean.

Sean unwrapped the gift and pulled the lid of the box. Inside was a beautiful blue silk Hermes tie. "Al, this is beautiful thank you." He said giving her a kiss and pulling her into a hug.

"I'm glad you like it." Alex replied, wrapping her arms around him as best she could. When they pulled apart Sean nodded slightly to the box in her hands.

"Open it." He urged her gently.

Alex opened the present to reveal a beautiful Pandora bracelet. It was on a silver band and already had a 5 charms on it. The first two were customized and had "Katya" and "Naveah" written in gold hanging down off the bracelet. The third was a delicate butterfly that had crystals embedded on it's wings. Another had the simple date of May 4 which was both the date of the first time they kissed, and also their wedding anniversary. The last was the Belarusian flag to represent their first overseas mission together.

"Sean , this is stunning!" Alex said as she gently took the piece of jewellery from the box. "Will you?" She asked holding out the bracelet and her wrist to him.

Sean nodded wordlessly and placed the bracelet on her wrist.

"I love you " Alex said wrapped her arms around him.

Sean smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you too Al." He said gently.

The couple was pulled out of their thoughts when the phone started ringing. Giving Sean a chaste kiss Alex stood up and went to get the phone.

"Hello?" She answered.

While Alex was on the phone Sean turned to his two daughters. "Girls, why don't you go get ready. Come on, I'll help you pick out some clothes." He said standing up off the couch.

"Okay!" The girls said happily scrambling from their position on the floor.

Sean shot Alex a smile before following his girls into their shared bedroom. They had room for each girl to have their own room, but the two sisters insisted they be in the same room.

Sean went over to their closet and got each girl a pair of jeans. "This good guys?" He asked them.

Their excited nods gave him the answer he needed as he took out the pants and placed them on the girls respective beds.

"Girls get socks and underwear out of your drawers." Sean told them as he searched through their shirts.

"Done!" Both girls called in unison a few moments later.

Sean turned around and walked over to Katie picking her, then Naveah up in his arms. "What shirts do you girls want?" Sean asked bringing them to their closet.

"This one!" Katie said pulling a shirt of a hanger from her side of the closet. The shirt in question was a red t-shirt with pink sleeves and a smiling snowman.

"Perfect choice." Sean said giving his daughter a kiss before placing her on the ground. "Naveah what about you?" Sean asked his youngest daughter, who looked to be deep in thought as she scanned through her options.

"Hmmm, that one!" She said pointing to a blue and purple shirt that had a snow flake on the front.

Sean smiled and took the shirt off the hanger before handing it to his daughter. "Okay monkey. You go get ready." He said placing her on the ground.

"Okay!" The girls called as they each made sure they had everything they needed.

Sean left the room and walked back into their living room where Alex was cleaning up the wrapping paper from the presents. "Who called?" Sean asked as he began to help her.

"Nikita, everyone will be over at about 2 o'clock." Alex explained. Seeing as it was only 9:30 it gave her plenty of time to make dinner.

"Alright. The girls are just getting dressed." Sean said picking up the last bit of paper of the ground.

"Good." Alex said simply. She was glad that she had been blessed with two daughters who would actually listen to their parents. "Oh and my mom said she was coming over too. She wants to see the girls." Alex said to him.

Sean nodded. "Sounds good. You want to start dinner and I can set the table." He asked her.

Alex smiled. "Uh huh. But first. . ." She trailed off before walking over to Sean and kissing his lips.

Sean smiled and kissed her back. It was times like this, when it was just the two of them that they cherished the most; they loved the girls but some alone time was always appreciated.

He pulled away and gave her one last kiss before walking over and putting the paper into the recycling.

Alex went to work in the kitchen to start dinner and Sean went to set the table. He mentally counted in his head an realized he was going to have to find a way to fit 11 people at this table.

"Al, I'm going to go to the basement to find the board for the table." He told her before walking down the stairs.

"Okay" Alex called from the kitchen.

A few minutes later and Sean came back up from the basement with the two wooden boards in his hand. Pulling the table apart he set the board on the strips of wood that were now exposed, making the table about twice it's original length.

"Much better." Sean said as he grabbed the place mats from the cupboard before setting down 11 places and re-arranging the chairs.

Alex was just putting the turkey in the oven when Katie and Naveah came out from their bedroom fully dressed

"Mom, can you do my hair?" Naveah asked.

"Me too!" Katie added.

Alex smiled at her daughters. "Of course I can! Let me and your dad get ready first and then I'll do your hair okay?"

"Okay mom! When is everyone coming over?" Katie asked her mother, excited to see her various aunts, uncles and cousins.

"Soon, by the time we're ready they'll be here." Alex said to her daughter. "Can you girls put your presents in your room and get the presents for the rest of the family and put them under the tree?"

The girls nodded at their mother. "Yeah!" They called, happy that they got to help.

Alex smiled at her daughters behaviour She and Sean had been so paranoid when they were born that they made sure that was one of the first things they were taught. Plus they each had a panic button in their room that Birkhoff had given to them when they discovered Alex was pregnant.

"Be careful with them!" Alex called to her daughters who had grabbed some of the presents from the closet.

"We know mom!" Naveah called back.

Alex cleaned off the kitchen counter, made sure the oven was set to the right temperature and walked into her and Sean's bedroom where Sean was grabbing clothes out of his side of the closet. "I'm going to have a shower, feel free to join." Alex said as she walked into the bathroom.

Sean smirked at her retreating form. He wanted nothing more to take her up on that offer but he knew they would never leave if he did.

Feeling satisfied with the clothes he had chosen which consisted of dark jeans, and a deep blue button down shirt he walked back into the living room where Katie and Naveah were finishing organizing the presents.

"It looks beautiful girls." He said mentioning the array of brightly wrapped presents that now rested under the tree. "Who wants to watch cartoons?" Sean asked his daughters.

The heads of the two girls shot towards him with smile on their faces. "Clifford!" They called in unison as they ran into the living room and towards the couch.

Sean took to large steps and grabbed them both by the waist, carrying them the rest of the way. The girls laughed as their father held them sideways in his arms.

He dropped the girls onto the couch before walking over to the TV and turning on their Clifford cartoons. "Love you girls." He told them with a smile.

"Love you too dad!" The girls called back to their father before their attention focused back on the screen.

Sean walked into the bedroom and saw Alex getting dressed, her hair was wrapped in a towel and she was currently dressed only in jeans and a bra. Sean inhaled slightly as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Good shower?" He asked curiously.

Alex instantly relaxed into his embrace. "Could have been better you if you were there." She said, her tone partly joking, but mostly serious.

Sean laughed lightly. "Next time." He told her, kissing the side of her neck.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Alex said as her eyes closed against his touch.

"Please do." Sean said huskily. "The girls are just watching Clifford, the presents are all set out." He told her reassuringly.

"Thanks." Alex said, her voice a little breathier then she'd like as Sean kept his assault on her neck, his hands resting on her hips.

Alex reluctantly pulled away from his embrace, knowing that if this continued they'd be in a difficult position to stop. "Sean, come on we need to get ready." Alex insisted.

"I really wish you weren't always right." He said as he gave her lips a kiss before going into the bathroom.

After the door clicked shut Alex flopped backwards onto the bed, letting out a long breath.

Standing up she went back to her closet and chose out a red 3/4 sleeve button down shirt. Putting it on over her head, she fixed her hair before walking back to the kitchen.

She started the other components of the meal and was making sure everything was ready to be cooked just as Sean walked out of the bedroom. "You need any help?" He asked.

It was now 1:45pm and the rest of the family would be arriving soon.

"No I'm good, thanks." Alex said giving him a kiss.

"Girls come to the bathroom with me so I can do your hair." Alex called to her daughters who got up off the couch and followed their mother down the hall.

Just as Alex was finishing up their hair the door bell rang and Katie and Naveah were immediately running towards the door. They knew the rules, and always made sure to wait for a parent before opening the door when they didn't know who it was, although they had a pretty good guess.

Alex smiled at her daughters behaviour She and Sean had been so paranoid when they were born that they made sure that was one of the first things they were taught. Plus they each had a panic button in their room that Birkhoff had given to them when they discovered Alex was pregnant.

"Girls you can open the door." Alex called from where she was standing.

Katie and Naveah excitedly pulled the door open, revealing Owen, Nikita, their eldest son Kyle and their youngest son Aaron. "Aunt Nikki! Uncle Ownen!" The girls called happily jumping into their aunt and uncles arms as Owen and Nikita's kids ran to hug Alex and Sean.

Once the kids had said their hellos the four of them ran into the living room to continue watching Clifford.

"How are you?" Alex asked as she wrapped her arms around Nikita.

"I'm good you?" She asked the younger girl.

"Good, good." She said, letting out a slight chuckle.

Sean and Owen had gone off to the side and were discussing the hockey season. "Did the kids have you up at 6 in the morning too?" Alex asked curiously.

Nikita chuckled. "Yep. Their lucky we're used to minimal sleep." Nikita said with a chuckle.

Alex nodded. It was true, even after all those years of being able to sleep in very rarely did anyone sleep past 6:00am.

Their conversation was interrupted by another knock on the door. Alex quickly opened it to reveal Birkhoff, and a very pregnant Sonya on the other side. "Hey guys!" Sonya called happily.

"Hey Sonya, you're looking good." Alex said with a smile.

Sonya let out a chuckle. "Please tell me this gets easier." She said hopefully.

Alex and Nikita both shook their heads. "Not really, not until after the baby is born."

Sonya let out a slight huff. "Great." She said sarcastically.

"Merry Christmas Nikki." Birkhoff said giving her cheek a kiss.

"Merry Christmas Nerd." Nikita replied giving him a hug.

"Merry Christmas Princess." Birkhoff said as he hugged Alex.

Alex chuckled. "Merry Christmas to you too Birkhoff." She said giving his back a quick pat.

Now that everyone had arrived a chorus of "Merry Christmas' were shared between the family. Katya had arrived a little after Birkhoff and Sonya and immediately went to see Alex and Sean.

"How's my favourite daughter and son in law?" She asked giving both of them a hug.

Alex smiled. "I'm your only daughter Mama."

"And I really hope I'm your only son in law." Sean added playfully.

Alex snacked his arm playfully.

"Doesn't mean you can't be my favourite." Katya pointed out. "Now where are my two grandchildren?" She added.

"Katie, Naveah come say hi to your grandmother." Alex called.

"Grandma!" The girls squealed as they ran over to the older women.

Katya smiled widely at them as she bent down and wrapped an arm around either one of them. "How are you girls?"

"We're great!" They said in unison.

Katya smiled. "That's wonderful." She said giving them each a kiss. "I hope you girls didn't wake your parents up too early." Katya said with a smile.

"No." Katie said with a giggle

"I'm sure your parents would say otherwise. Go back with your cousins." Katya said with a smile as she watched her granddaughters run out of the room.

"Alexandra do you want help with dinner?" Katya asked her daughter.

"That'd be great thanks Mama." Alex said with a smile.

"You didn't let me help." Sean piped up.

Alex and her mother shared a quick look before Alex kissed Sean's cheek and patted his chest. Without saying anything she and Katya walked into the kitchen.

Sean laughed and shook his head before going into the other room with Owen. "Who's playing today?" He asked sitting down to watch the pre-game.

"Washington and Vancouver." Owen said

"I've got fifty on Washington." Sean said holding a bill out to Owen.

"I've got fifty on Vancouver. I would never dare bet against my home town." He said with a smirk.

"Neither would I." Sean stated simply.

Birkhoff walked into the room, handing each man a beer. "I've got fifty on that we're all going to get yelled at for watching the game and not helping." Birkhoff said sitting down on the couch.

"Alex kicked me out." Sean said simply.

"Yeah Nikita too." Owen shrugged.

"Okay sush. Games starting." Sean said as the puck was about to be dropped.

By the end of the game Vancouver had won the game 4-2. "I can't believe your team gave up that two goal lead, and in the third period too." Owen teased holding his hand out to Sean.

Sean sighed and put the money into his friends hand. "It's not my fault our defence sucks." He retorted.

"No but it's your fault you bet against a Canadian team." Owen laughed.

"Whatever." Sean grumbled as he got off the couch.

Owen and Birkhoff laughed and followed him into the kitchen.

"Dinners almost ready." Nikita said as she plated up the mashed sweet potatoes.

"I'll get the kids washed up." Birkhoff said giving Sonya a quick kiss before walking to where the kids were.

Sonya smiled and ran a gentle hand over her round stomach.

"You want help?" Owen asked standing behind Nikita. "You can bring this to the table." She said handing him the bowl.

Owen nodded and took it from her, bringing it to the table.

"You can take this." Alex said giving Sean a quick kiss before handing him a bowl full of stuffing and the other cranberry sauce.

"Got it." Sean said setting it up on the table.

"Who won the game?" Nikita asked when the two men returned.

"Vancouver." Owen said proudly.

"Yeah yeah rub it in." Sean said annoyed.

"Sean it's your fault for not cheering for the Canadian team." Nikita pointed out.

"I knew there was a reason I married you." Owen said kissing her gently.

Nikita chuckled at him. Although she had never been much of a sports fan Owen had somehow got her hooked on hockey. It helped too since both the boys played.

"Just the one?" Nikita teased back.

"That and you're super hot." He mentioned with a smirk.

Alex chuckled. "Take what you can get." She commented and playfully nudged her friend.

"Thanks for that Owen." Nikita commented.

"Anytime babe." He said lightly.

After a few more minutes Birkhoff came back with the four children, looking more than a little dishevelled "I'm so glad we're only starting with one." He mentioned as he kissed Sonya.

Sonya laughed. "Seymour, I think we would both pass out if we started with more than one."

"That's true." Birkhoff agreed.

"Dinner's ready." Alex called putting the turkey on the table.

Everyone sat around the table. Owen, Nikita, Kyle and Aaron all sat on one side of the table, facing them was Sean, Alex, Katie, Naveah and Katya and Birkhoff and Sonya sat at either head of the table.

Everyone passed the food around, putting some food onto their plates. The meal went over smoothly, everyone having everything they needed.

After dinner the children decided to open presents, leaving a mess of paper all over the living room.

By the time everyone had gone home it was well past 10pm. Sean had just finished getting Katie and Naveah ready for bed when he walked them into their room, tucking them under the covers.

Sean was about to turn off the light and leave when Naveah's sleepy voice stopped him.

"Daddy tell us a story." Naveah asked as she and Katie laid their heads on their pillows.

"Yeah. Please!" Katie added enthusiastically.

Sean smiled at his daughters. He sat down on a chair between their beds and held one of their hands with one of his.

"Once upon a time," he started "there was a beautiful princess."

"What was her name?" Katie asked curiously.

Sean chuckled at his daughters inpatients. "Her name was Alexandra." He said, putting a Russian flare so they wouldn't recognize it as their mothers.

"Anyway, getting back to my story,"

Sean told his daughters with a playful tone. "Alexandra was a beautiful princess, and one day she met this man."

"Was he her Prince Charming?" Naveah asked, already completely enthralled with the story her father was telling her.

"Not quite. At first they didn't like each other very much, and when they first met they were literally at each other's throats"

"Why?" The girls asked in unison

"Well, you'll find out if let me tell the story." Sean told them with a laugh "Moving on, after weeks of working together they finally started to warm up to each other."

"Then they got married, and lived happily ever after?" Naveah asked her father.

"No not yet. Just because they worked together didn't mean they were in love. That came much later, after months of trying and failing to deny their feelings for one another. And you know what happened?"

"What?" Katie asked anxious to hear the ending to the story.

"In the end they did end up together, they got married and lived happily ever after."

"That was a nice story, daddy" Naveah said with a smiled, as a yawn escaped her lips.

"Dad, you never told us the prince's name." Katie pointed out.

"That's a story for another time girls. Now go to sleep." Sean watched as Katie and Naveah's eyes drifted close. "I love you girls." He said giving them both a kiss on their forehead.

"Love you too." They mumbled back before falling asleep.

Sean turned to leave the room and saw Alex leaning against the door frame, the light from the hallway revealing the smile on her face.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked as he placed his hands on her hips.

"The whole time," Alex responded, placing her hand against his cheek. "I wanted to see what story you would tell. It was interesting."

"I think I was very creative." Sean said, his boyish grin playing at his lips.

"It's certainly a story that will be remembered." Alex said, a chuckle seeping into her voice.

"Always and forever." Sean said pushing a piece of hair from her face.

"Always and forever." Alex repeated

Sean wrapped his arm around Alex's waist and lead her down the hall, closing the light at the end of the hallway, making sure the girls didn't have any light streaming into their room.

Sean went to make sure all the doors were locked and Alex went to lean against the window as she gazed up at the stars.

She heard a door lock shut and the padding of Sean's bare feet against the floor before she felt his arms around her waist. "You okay?" He asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm great." She said as she leaned against him.

"I think today went well." Sean said, drawing random patterns on her arm with his index finger.

"Me too." Alex said as she turned around and wrapped her arms around Sean's neck.

Sean rested his hands on Alex's hips as she turned around. "What's wrong?" Sean asked worried.

"Nothing," Alex said quickly. "Nothing is wrong, everything is perfect." She said giving him a kiss. "I need to give you something." She said quietly before walking off.

Sean stood there, confused as to what she was doing.

Alex walked back into the room a few moments later and handed him a white envelope. "Merry Christmas Sean." She said softly.

Sean looked at her confused before opening the envelope. His heart started to beat faster when he saw what was inside.

It was a sonogram

"Al are you-" Sean started, knowing full well Alex would know what he was going to ask.

"You're going to be a dad, again." Alex said with a smile.

"Alex that's fantastic!" Sean said ecstatic. "How far along are you?" He asked excitedly.

"About 6 weeks. I found out on Friday. I wanted it to be a surprise."

Sean picked her up in his arms and twirled her around in a circle. "This is the best news I've gotten in 5 years." He told her as he gently kissed her lips.

"I love you so much Sean." Alex said, gently.

"I love you too Alex. More than you could ever imagine." He gently kissed her lips before the two of them walked into their bedroom.

Laying underneath the covers Alex curled her back against Sean's chest as he sprawled his hand out protectively over her stomach.

The two of them breathed in tandem, blissful and happy falling asleep after having had one of the best Christmas' ever.


End file.
